Adopting new and innovative welding techniques can improve output and greatly reduce costs.
Constant improvements and innovations in all industry sectors are the basis for the success the construction
sector has seen in the Gulf in recent years. The highest levels of efficiency and performance are required across the industry — not just the steel sector — as well as good value for money.
As welding is one of the most common manufacturing operations in construction, innovations and improvements in welding technology, processes and materials are also taking place at an ever-increasing pace.
Modern methods of high-tech welding in conjunction with modern welding power sources reduce total costs in numerous ways, guaranteeing a faster return on your initial investment.
Research shows most companies using welding technologies have never effectively evaluated their total welding costs. Most manufacturers are not aware of how much they are spending on the total welding procedure, or how much money they can save.
Knowing which factors affect welding costs can enable a company to direct its focus towards implementing changes that will reduce these costs, enabling the business to improve its competitiveness and profitability. Those who choose to make the initial investment, soon come to realise
it is completely outweighed by the numerous product advantages drawn from inverter based power sources, and the sustainable peak performance of new welding technology.
Around the western industrialised world, most manufacturers have already been making best use of global welding innovations with the latest inverter-based welding power sources. The trend towards lighter machines, more powerful outputs, simpler but safer operations, increased demand for reproducible welding results and flexible handling have started to penetrate the dynamically booming market of the GCC.
Not only do these technologies bring about significant cost-saving benefits, but they have many more advantages. The latest small and compact welding machines — some not much bigger than a shoebox — allow easy carry-on handling at sites, especially when tasks such as climbing ladders or scaffoldings or entering buildings for structural works become increasingly strenuous as buildings rise ever higher.
Maintenance is always an issue when it comes to construction and other technical applications. Not only will the welders enjoy the added value, but also maintenance teams prefer lighter weights with efficient and reliable output. With just one extension cable, power can be easily and quickly supplied to the workplace, no matter if in the factory or in the field.
Various voltages have to be dealt with in the GCC, unlike the Western states, where one voltage of 400/230 V has been set as the norm. The new machines cater to GCC requirements by providing an all-automatic voltage recognition facility. This also applies when power is generator supplied.
Experiencing fewer electrical energy losses while running without load — inverter based welding power sources have the benefit of consuming nearly no power when energised, but not operated. In comparison, the old transformer-based machines constantly create expensive electrical and magnetic losses, and thus — higher energy consumption.
New innovations in the MIG/MAG processes allow joint preparation to be reduced by up to 20 per cent. This brings about the advantage of less material removal for joint preparation, fewer welding passes, combined automatically with a lower energy consumption, faster welding and a reduced usage of consumables (wire, gas); all contributing to lower total costs.
Another convincing feature is the much cleaner welding process. The welded area remains almost spatter-free, reducing, and in some cases completely eliminating post weld clean-up.
Inverter-based welding technology already shows strength and versatility on industrial construction sites world-wide — ranging from the food industry to the chemical industry, from pipelines, containers and tanks, to instruments and vehicles, where modern welding technology secures a successful, sustainable and profitable operation for long-term perspectives and new world records within the Middle East.
— Courtesy: EWM Hightec Welding Germany Regional Office Middle East
